'There is good creepy, and there is bad creepy.' Which one is Facebook? Sean Parker explains

At today's Web 2.0 Summit, Napster co-founder Sean Parker stated that "there is good creepy, and there is bad creepy," when asked by his interviewer whether social network Facebook was getting a "little creepy." Sean, who is a major shareholder in the company, didn't answer the question directly (for obvious reasons) but thought-provokingly said "today's creepy is tomorrow's necessity."

In terms of privacy, it's not a problem for Facebook, or at least not its biggest, the Spotify investor believes. The biggest problem, according to Sean, "is the glut of information from power users," who he notes are now moving to competitors like Twitter and Google+. Facebook needs to control users who over-share and flood news streams—a filter mechanism not unlike Circles would be apt.

Spotify has integrated with Facebook, a bridge no doubt built by Sean himself, giving the service access to 800 million users. Although it's not exclusive, and this has led to at least one spat (since dubbed majorly overblown Mr. Parker).

Also relating to Spotify, Sean discussed the role of record labels in today's market and declared that bands that bypass them these days. "I'm not sure why [a musician] would sign up with a record label," the entrepreneur slash investor said, pointing to much lower barriers to sharing music and going viral.

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Knowlton Thomas

Knowlton is the managing editor of Techvibes.
Based in Vancouver, Knowlton has been published in national publications and has also appeared on television and radio.
Previously he was an editor for New Westminster weekly The Other Press and served on its board of directors.
When not working, Knowlton enjoys rock climbing, hiking, and martial arts.
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